ENGL412: Restoration & Eighteenth-century Drama

Unit 4: French Drama: Harlequin Comedy & Other GenresIn this unit, we will expand our nationalistic perspective on the drama
of the long-eighteenth century to include work created and performed in
France. In so doing, we will investigate the joys of the Harlequin
comedy of Pierre de Marivaux as well as the historical and philosophic
drama of Voltaire. Our course concludes, then, by rounding out the
various genres that we have studied thus far by approaching theater from
the stance of two of France’s most important dramatists of the period.

Unit4 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

Describe the nature of eighteenth-century French drama and
especially the theater of Harlequin comedy.

Identify and characterize the work of Pierre de Marivaux.

Compare and contrast Marivaux’s drama to that of Voltaire.

4.1 Pierre de Marivaux and Eighteenth-Century Theater in France4.1.1 French Drama in the Eighteenth Century
- Reading: TheatreDatabase.com’s “French Drama in the Eighteenth
Century”
Link: TheatreDatabase.com’s “French Drama in the Eighteenth
Century”(HTML)

Instructions: Please scroll down and read the entirety of
TheatreDatabase.com’s introduction to French eighteenth-century
drama.

About the Link: TheatreDatabase.com, a website dedicated to the
history of theater, has made this introduction to French
eighteenth-century drama available online.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

4.1.2 Harlequin Comedy: An Introduction the Work and Life of
Marivaux
- Reading: The “Preface” and “Introduction” to Everett Ward
Olmsted’s A Selection of the Comedies of Marivaux
Link: The “Preface” and
“Introduction”(HTML)
to Everett Ward Olmsted’s A Selection of the Comedies of
Marivaux

Instructions: Please scroll down and read the “Preface” and
“Introduction” to Project Gutenberg’s version of Olmsted’s text.

About the Link: Project Gutenberg, a literary database, has made
the entirety of Everett Ward Olmsted’s A Selection of the Comedies
of Marivaux online.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

4.2 Voltaire’s Impact on French Eighteenth-Century Theater4.2.1 An Introduction to the Life and Work of Voltaire
- Reading: The Voltaire Foundation: “Introduction” and “Voltaire’s
Early Life and Works”
Links: The Voltaire Foundation:
“Introduction”(HTML)
and “Voltaire’s Early Life and
Works” (HTML)

Instructions: Please scroll down and read the entirety of the
Voltaire Foundation’s “Introduction” to Voltaire as well as the
entirety of the section titled “Voltaire’s Early Life and Works.”

About the Links: The Voltaire Foundation, a website dedicated to
the life and work of Voltaire, has made these documents available
online.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyrights and terms of use
displayed on the webpages above.

Also available in:
[ePub format](http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4683.epub)
Instructions: Please scroll down and read the entirety of Project
Gutenberg’s version of Voltaire’s play as well as the entirety of
Citizendium.org’s background on the play. In what ways is this a
“philosophic” play? Why would Voltaire want to explore philosophy
in the form of drama? That is, why would Voltaire want to dramatize
philosophy?
About the Links: Project Gutenberg, a literary database, has made
the entirety of Voltaire’s play online. Citizendium.org, a
citizen’s compendium for information on the web, has made this
article concerning Voltaire’s *Socrates* available online.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyrights and terms of use
displayed on the webpages above.